Lila recognized the men at the front. They were Cole’s goons.

  "You're a Whitmore heiress," the leader sneered, his voice thick with resentment. "You have no idea what people like us go through. You’d better get out of our way—don’t get in the way of our payday!"

  "Enough talk! Brothers, get them!"

  A fireball sailed out from somewhere in the crowd and exploded against Lila’s chest.

  -48

  The first attack broke the dam. The rest of the bounty hunters surged forward, unleashing a chaotic volley of skills and spells on Lila’s small group.

  Under normal circumstances, even outnumbered two-to-one, Lila’s elites wouldn't have feared anyone. They had mastered the strategy for the Putrid King, allowing them to clear The Abandoned Mine at twice the speed of any other team.

  After more than two days of non-stop grinding, they had farmed over twenty sets of gear, including two full epic-quality sets. Lila herself was wearing one of them.

  But even the most elite players couldn't withstand an onslaught from an enemy that outnumbered them six-to-one.

  Five of her teammates fell in the opening volley.

  "Lila, what do we do?"

  "Should we fall back?"

  Questions flooded the party chat. Lila’s reply was swift and decisive. "No retreat! Even if you die, you hold this line! Do not let them get to the boss!"

  Though her team was composed entirely of women, they were veterans who had followed her for years. Upon receiving the order, they steeled themselves, holding their ground without taking a single step back.

  But against the endless, swarming tide of enemies, their courage wasn't enough. In less than thirty seconds, more than half of them had been sent to the respawn point.

  Seeing the defensive line crumble, many of the attackers didn't bother with the remaining defenders. They simply streamed through the gaps, their eyes fixed on the lone figure in the distance.

  "No!" Lila cried out in despair. With that many players swarming the boss, its lifesteal would trigger and it would heal back to full. Was her all-night effort going to be for nothing?

  Just then, a crisp system notification chime brought an unexpected surprise.

  [System: Your party has successfully killed the Ironhide Serpent! You have received 100,000 experience points.]

  Stunned, Lila stopped her attacks and quickly sent a message to Kael. "They're coming for you! Be careful!"

  Kael didn’t reply, but from a distance, he gave her a casual, reassuring wave. He walked over to the serpent's corpse, spotted a wooden tablet on the ground, and picked it up.

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  It was the [Guild Charter].

  Ignoring the horde of players closing in on him, he leisurely typed a message to Lila. "Got the charter for you ;)"

  Before he could even get a reply, an arrow thudded into the dirt at his feet. Kael glanced back. The first wave of attackers was now within 30 yards. Behind them was a black mass of players, at least three or four hundred strong.

  Kael slowly drew [Whisperwind], the bow humming with power as he activated a skill.

  Phantom Barrage!

  In an instant, the sky was blotted out by a dense swarm of phantom arrows. A moment later, they rained down upon the charging crowd, and a stream of unbelievable damage numbers erupted.

  -1799

  -3522 (Crit!)

  -5276 (Crit!)

  -11058 (Crit! Pierce x2)

  -16418 (Crit! Pierce x2)

  The players in the front rank were the lucky ones. If they weren't hit by a crit, they took less than 2,000 damage and survived.

  Those behind them weren't so fortunate. The second rank was hit not only by the initial volley but also by the piercing arrows passing through the bodies of their comrades. The third rank and beyond were hammered by the volley plus two waves of fully-powered piercing shots.

  An unlucky soul hit by three consecutive criticals could take over 16,000 damage, an amount so far beyond their total health it was laughable. They were dead before their bodies hit the ground.

  In a single attack, a 15-by-15-yard section of the battlefield was wiped clean, and over two hundred players were sent directly to the respawn point.

  The remaining bounty hunters saw the horrifying spectacle and skidded to a halt, their charge dissolving into a stunned, terrified silence. It was an absolutely ludicrous display of power. They stared at each other, raw fear reflected in their eyes.

  Suddenly, a voice shouted from the back of the crowd. "His skill's on cooldown! That has to be his ultimate! This is our chance, charge!"

  The desperate logic resonated with the others. A skill that powerful, with such a massive area of effect, had to have a long cooldown. Reinvigorated, the mob surged forward once more.

  Kael, of course, had no intention of letting them reach him. His movement speed was 12, while the fastest among them barely reached 7. The gap was enormous. He didn't sprint, however. He jogged, deliberately keeping his pace just slow enough to let them believe they had a chance to catch him.

  After a count of eight seconds, his cooldown was over. Kael turned and unleashed another Phantom Barrage.

  The world dissolved into a shower of light and damage numbers. Another two hundred players were vaporized.

  Now, only about a hundred remained.

  Having come this far, there was no turning back. They gritted their teeth and continued the chase, convinced they were closing the distance. If just one of them could get into melee range and lock him down, Kael was dead!

  To bolster their courage, they began to shout.

  "For the five hundred grand, charge!"

  "He's running out of room! There are monsters behind him!"

  "This is our chance to get rich!"

  Kael ran at a leisurely pace, not to escape, but to let the horde cluster together more tightly. He even ran in a small, deliberate circle, allowing the slower players to catch up and join the doomed pack.

  He was actually having fun. He grinned and shouted over his shoulder, "Haha, I've got you guys surrounded! Last chance to surrender!"

  They ignored his taunt, looking for any opportunity to close the gap.

  Seeing that his timing was perfect, Kael drew his bow a third time. The third Phantom Barrage fell, and another huge swathe of players vanished.

  Fewer than a dozen remained.

  At this point, even the most reckless of them knew they were being toyed with.

  "Fuck this, I'm done," a warrior with a two-handed sword declared, plopping down on the ground in exhaustion. His slow movement speed had kept him at the edge of the slaughter each time, allowing him to survive by pure chance.

  Seeing him give up, the others stopped running as well.

  "Motherfucker," one of them panted. "This guy's a monster!"

  Kael, seeing that they had all given up, looked almost disappointed. The bow he had raised for a fourth volley was slowly lowered.

  He glanced at his status. His Infamy score was now north of 600. He shook his head with a wry smile.

  Damn it. Am I ever going to be able to show my real face in public again?